Monday, June 1, 2009

Marc A. Scorca to lead Opera America through 2016; Two elected to Board of Directors

MARC A. SCORCA TO LEAD OPERA AMERICA THROUGH 2016

GREGORY C. SWINEHART AND DARREN K. WOODS ELECTED TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS

OPERA America, the national service organization for opera, is pleased to announce that the contract of its president & CEO, Marc A. Scorca, has been extended through 2016. Anthony Freud, chairman of OPERA America’s Board of Directors, announced the news at the organization’s Annual Business Meeting, which took place during OPERA America’s recent conference in Houston, Texas. During Opera Conference 2009, the Board of Directors also elected two new members to join its ranks: Gregory C. Swinehart and Darren K. Woods.

Mr. Scorca’s extended tenure will encompass several significant anniversaries. In 2010, OPERA America will celebrate 40 years of service to the opera community and Mr. Scorca’s 20th anniversary with the organization. He will also mark his 25th anniversary with the organization in 2015.

“The level of service OPERA America has provided to the field has increased dramatically over the last 20 years, and Marc Scorca has been the driving force behind these initiatives,” stated Mr. Freud. “As the entire opera field has expanded, OPERA America has played an important role in the significant number of North American opera premieres and in the formation of dynamic new opera companies. Marc has been a superb president and CEO of OPERA America for the last nineteen years. He is a truly major figure in our field, commanding great respect and admiration, nationally and internationally, for his vision, expertise and leadership. As OPERA America approaches its fortieth anniversary, and as Marc approaches his twentieth, we are thrilled that this outstanding partnership will continue to evolve and develop in the years to come."

The newly-elected members of OPERA America’s Board of Directors areGregory C. Swinehart, United States and North American managing partner of Deloitte’s Forensic and Dispute Services practice, and Darren K. Woods, general director of Fort Worth Opera.

Mr. Swinehart has spent 22 years providing specialized economic, operational and accounting consulting services to clients. He has also served on a number of boards of directors, including The Minnesota Opera. Prior to joining Deloitte, Mr. Swinehart was a partner in a boutique consulting firm and worked as a product and process engineer at 3M. With his legal experience at Deloitte and as an opera lover, Mr. Swinehart will bring fresh perspective to OPERA America’s Board of Directors.

A former operatic tenor who has gone on to lead Fort Worth Opera, Shreveport Opera and the Seagle Music Colony, Mr. Woods possesses significant insight about the needs of performers and companies. He is an advocate of contemporary American compositions, and in 2007, Fort Worth Opera celebrated its first operatic commission: Frau Margot by Thomas Pasatieri and libretto by Frank Corsaro. Mr. Woods is a frequent vocal competition judge, serving on the panels for the Richard Tucker Foundation and the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, among many others.